Gonzo

Let me say one thing.... You guys are the greatest... you never forget to include the family and the crew in every detail of your daily lives. Especially on the 4th of July... it's a day we shouldn't take for granted. If we were there those 230+ years ago I think you, me and most everyone that posts here would be holding a musket and fighting for our rights along with all the other people of that time period. I don't care what anyone else thinks.... I think we rate an "ATABOY".... so it's my turn.... ATABOY ! ! ! Have a safe and happy 4th... Count fingers before and after you light those fireworks...

There ya go again Joe... ya see right thru my little stories to the real issues. It's still that customer and his wallet that comes into play. You know I probably lose 2 or 3 good jobs a week do to prices... because either the other guy is far cheaper or they just haven't got that kind of cash in their budget. I wonder sometimes how these cheap secondary parts stores stay in business when I have a customer come in and tell me they just exchange a starter or alternator for the 5 or 6th time... they can't figure out whats wrong but now they are convinced it's something other than the quality of the part that is wrong with the car. But, you know, it's a cheap part.. it wasn't made to last.. it was made to sell. AND sell they do.... so, until the consumer teaches themselves the difference between quality and price they will always be searching for the cheaper alternative. That's where the alligator skin comes in handy... listening to them tell me how they can get the same part cheaper, and those "cheap" parts are as good as my high quality part.... you can guess the rest of the conversation... Go figure....

Good points Jeff... I'm glad my little stories help bridge the gap between gas money and closing the shop... keep your chin, but keep your head down.. dodge those bullets... Oh I guess I shouldn't use the term "Dodge" LOL... glad ya like the article. Gonz

Growing Alligator skin If there is one thing I find hard to deal with in this topsy turvy world of the auto repair business is the way some people will react when they are at the repair shop. It's the way they conduct their selves at the shop when it comes time to get their car repaired. Over the years I've been praised, and degraded. I've been called a saint and I've been called the devil (or worse). I've heard the shouting and the stuff I probably wasn't suppose to hear (walls don't always block sound you know). After awhile you've heard it all before, and the attitudes that you see at the front desk become a part of the daily grind. Coping with all this is what I call; "growing alligator skin". I try not to take things so personal, I'll let the alligator skin handle it, and then take off my protective coat before I get back home to the wife and kids. What gives with the need for such a thing as "alligator skin"? I believe there a several factors inherent to the automotive industry that brings on this crocodile coat of protection. Mistrust of the automotive repair world in general is what I believe is the number one factor. But what brings on that mistrust? … Is it the incompetent mechanic? I doubt that is always the case. Is it the money out of their pockets which they were not expecting when they drove down the road to the repair shop? I believe it's more in the hands of the unknowing consumer who reads and watches to many evening news reports on the unscrupulous business practices of the few out there that really are rip offs and not the normal operations of countless decent shops in this country. If you tie that into the other part of the equation it starts to make some sense. What is that other part? … The customer, their car, and what they do or don't do with their family transportation. As I try to tell my customers; "Maintenance on a new car doesn't do much to the value of the car or its current condition. It's when it's older and the miles are creeping up that all the previous maintenance pays off". The inevitable degrading condition of the car doesn't happen all at once, it takes time and miles for that to happen. And, sometimes some old failures will cause new failures to occur. "General Maintenance" isn't a guy in the Army reserves… it's something we all need to do. But it is almost always overlooked. And a lot of times we will avoid or put it off, till it's too late. That's when the raised voices or mistrust starts at the service counter and that alligator skin becomes a necessity again. Of course, there are always those TV scammers that will try to tell you they have the latest greatest product to aide in the diagnosing of your vehicle. And let's not forget about the internet and the "wonderful" sources of information out there that the customer will no doubt inform you about when they show up with a complaint. I'm sure there are doctors, lawyers, and many other professional trades that know who's the best and the worst in their field. We sometimes here about those on the evening news, just not as often as the car repair business seems to be focused on. But cars are needed by everyone, no matter what the condition. Think about it, you may not need a lawyer tomorrow morning to get to work, but I'll bet you need your car. Educating the customer should start from the time they sign on the dotted line and purchase their vehicle. No recourse is given to educate the new owner on what needs to be done in the future with their new found horsepower. It's up to the owner to deal with the maintenance issues and any repairs that come up. I personally have never bought a car and had the salesman walk over to me and mention… "Now you know, you'll need to set some money aside for general maintenance and the usual break downs." But without the needed "know-how" the car is left to its own demise and the maintenance is left for another day. So, once you add up all these factors there is only one thing that is going to happen at the repair shop….a disgruntled owner with an issue about their car. Now we are back to the original problem, how do you deal with all of this? Start with a bit of Alligator skin, be prepared for the customer to tell you their life story about their car. They're going to tell you what they think no matter what you say or do. Let them get it out and keep your alligator skin intact. Stay calm, but professional. Most of the time, if you explain the diagnostic procedures and the results of the repair in terms that they can understand. Things will go a lot smoother. Sometimes I might have to go thru it a few times but it's worth the effort. So the key to this whole ordeal is to do a good job, be prepared to back up what you do with an explanation that can be understand by the typical driver. As long as you do that you can keep your wits about you and you won't lose too much skin for your efforts. But keep in mind; it can be a little rough around the water's edge. You may have to stand your ground and make your point known. Keep it as calm as possible and explain as best as possible. These issues usually don't apply to the person who keeps up with their maintenance schedules or comes in on a regular basis. They understand the need and respect the work you do. It's the ones that only show up when their car has reached the water's edge and can't go an inch further without falling into the crocodile infested water. They will stammer around trying to find a way to get their car repaired without stepping off into the deep end and risk losing money, time, and their temper. We've all been there… and we can all understand the problems involved. Let's not forget….. Explaining things can only go so far. You don't want to have to resort to their tactics… that's not good business. But, remember one thing, the customer is still dealing with an alligator… and they can bite back if they're not careful.

Jeff, I would have to agree with Joe on this one. I've been there... making the last job of the week just to make payroll and not enough left over for the guy who started the whole thing... ME. I feel your pain buddy... I wish I could help... but that's not possible... but I can give you moral support to let you know that things DO turn around... If you can hang in there... I'm sure things will work out for the best. Keep your chin up.. just remember .. it's not your fault... it's more likely the economy that brings you to this decision. Check and see if there are other shops in the area that you could "farm" jobs for. Go to the used car dealers, stop by the vo-tech schools... car rentals, check with plumbing,electrcial and or any other business that would have a fleet of trucks. There might still be a way to get thru this. Even if you have to move back home... I think you'll keep all that you've done as part of a learning experience and will be able to see any pitfalls in the future... life is a learning experience... and this is one of them. Good luck my friend... I'm pullin' for ya. Gonzo

Jeff, hang in there... I've been 2 minutes away from bankruptcy for 25 years.... LOL But aren't we all....LOL so don't feel bad... it's all in a day. "Like a duck on pond.... graceful on the top side where all can see... and paddlin' like hell underneath it all...." Gonzo

Bad news travels fast... that's so true... I sometimes wonder if a lot of people always live in fear and doubt rather than in confidence and working towards the future. One comedian I heard years ago made the joke that all his relatives hid in the cave while the big old dinasour walked by looking for any easy meal... If they didn't hide they were dinner... That could be true... but I think aggresive thinking, working out problems and dealing with the pitfalls is part of business. "If ya can't stand the heat... get out of the kitchen."

I read it to my wife... All I got was the "evil" eye.... I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight... thanx... thanx a lot. LOL She says it was a bargain for just a rib.... He should have ask for a little more... how about a toe or something....

The sad part Joe, is that you're right... everyone has had to deal with people like this butthead. That's one of the reason why I feel it's important to write these stories. Since we all have had these experiences it only makes sense to remind ourselves and to inform the next shop owners and techs... that the world is full of odd balls like this guy. I think it makes me appreciate the rest of the consumer world more, and really appreciate that person who is happy to come to my shop to get some work done. And one more thing. When I'm out running around and I'm "the consumer" I think I am more likely to understand the plight of the guy behind the counter after reading/writing these stories. I, myself, will not - never --- act like this guy... ever.

This is a rather long.... long story. I normally don't make them this long because it gets boring (to me) to read them. But there is a reason this one is so long. Grab a coffee, take a little time read thru this one... and lets see if you have run across your own Rocky Balboa. ADRIAN Taking a line from the Rocky movies. “Adrian, Adrian!” If you can picture Rocky Balboa shouting out the name of his girlfriend you have a good idea what I experienced one day at the shop. It all started with a phone call several weeks ago. A referred customer wanted some information about some repairs he wanted done to his late 90’s F150. Mandy (my daughter and office manager) was in the office and as always handled all of this customers questions with the highest level of expertise. Several weeks later the truck showed up at the shop. The keys were in the overnight slot along with a hand scribbled note. The name and contact number with a brief description of the problems were all there. Although, most of it was misspelled but the main information was legible. There was quite a bit on the list. It stretched from the front of the truck to the rear. First thing to do was get it up on the lift. Number one on the list was the front end. All four ball joints needed changed and the idler arm was trashed. (Sounds about right for a truck with 150k miles on it and looked like it had a pretty rough life.) Now, to the other end of the truck. The rearend was the next issue. You couldn’t help but notice the leaking fluid out of the front of the assembly. I gave the driveshaft a jiggle… up and down and round and round….this rearend is shot. There so much play in the gears you could probably stick another rearend between the gaps of the gears. I grabbed the tire and gave it a turn. The growl from the center of the reared was so loud…. I don’t know how anyone could have driven it to the shop. This thing is totally shot. Next item on the list was diagnose the cruise control. Anybody that has one of these should… if you haven’t ---YOU better…. Get the recall on the cruise control switch that is mounted on the master cylinder. Your dealer can tell you if your vehicle needs to have the recall done or not. Obviously this owner never pays attention to those notices that the manufacture sends out. The only thing wrong with the cruise was the switch. The other and finally the last thing was the right side wiper didn’t work… at least that was what was written down on the invoice which was simply copied from the owners own notes. Oh, it worked but do ya think maybe, just maybe…. It might work better if you put the wiper blade on correctly. I’m not sure but I think it’s not supposed to be cork screwed twisted and pointing towards the sky. Another no brainer repair… OK, one more thing to write down on the invoice; replace wiper blades... Finally, all done. Now that the “diagnostic” part of the repair is completed I’ll write up the damages and have Mandy call the customer while I get to the next job in the shop. I’ll wait till she gets off the phone, and then order what parts are needed. You know so far this is just like any other repair. I’ll admit a rather large list of repairs, but nothing out of the ordinary. What could go wrong now…? But as usual there is always the “question and answer” part of the diagnostics. Mandy came out to the shop and asked the usual questions that a customer will usually ask; “Why does it cost so much, why can’t you just stop it from leaking instead replacing the entire rearend, why are the parts so expensive, can’t you do it cheaper…” you know the rest…. I explained everything to Mandy and she repeated it back to the customer. Just another day at the shop, just another repair, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Now I never expected the owner to go for the rearend or for that matter the front end, mainly because of the cost. I don’t like to make snap judgments on cars or customers, but it seemed very highly likely that this guy didn’t have the cash flow to maintain his truck in decent shape. Otherwise, things would have been fixed long before they got into the shape they are in now. I expected that, so it wasn’t any surprise that the only repairs I was going to make were the two cheaper repairs. (Cruise and wipers) The work was completed and the truck was set aside to wait for the customer to pick it up the next day. Still, this is nothing new… just another repair. The next day the customer came and picked up the car, well, I should point out that this guy wanted to strut his manly ego at the front counter. Me, I was doing what I normally do every day… fix the cars in the shop. Busy as could be in the back of the shop, Mandy came out to ask me a few questions. A lot of times she may have a question on a part or description of the labor charges. While I was elbow deep in a job at hand she took down the information and headed back to the front office. This guy wasn’t buying her answers. He wanted to “talk” with the mechanic that worked on the job. Mandy told him that I was busy and that if you can wait a few minutes I’ll see if I can pull him away from the job he’s on. By this time he had already stormed out the front door. She didn’t even have a chance to finish her sentence….. The one that ended with…. “As soon as he gets a break he’ll make it to the front office to talk to you.” The next thing I know, that same truck is back in front of the service bays blocking as many doors as he could. Then this Italian stallion of the motor world jumps out of his truck stands by the front fender with his arms stretched out and starts yelling at the top of his lungs and gives his best “Adrian” Rocky Balboa impression. “So, what is it? Ya don’t want to talk to me?!?!? I ain’t paying for the work unless I talk somebody that knows what they are doing!!!” The first thing that crosses my mind is… “WHO’S THIS JACKASS!” Then I recognize the truck…got it…it’s the owner of the vehicle. Upset about something but of course, I don’t know what. “If you’re the fella waiting for me that was in the front office, I’m cleaning up now and I’ll be there in a minute…as you can tell I’m a little busy at the moment,” I said, a little louder than normal. Not that I’m pissed, I’m more confused than anything else. “Rocky” leaves his truck where it is and walks to the front office door. I take off my welding gear, turn off the welder and clean up enough to go to the front office. (I was busy welding a door back together for another customer) As soon as I made it to the office the "Rocky" went right back into his ranting. “I’m putting a notice up in my office and tell everybody I know how much of an asshole this place is,” he shouted back at me. “So what’s your problem buddy,” I said, already getting steamed by this butt head’s constant badgering. “I want to talk to the guy who worked on the car, not the gal in the front office. She is not a mechanic so obviously she doesn’t know what she is talking about. I’m a damn good mechanic myself and I don’t want to talk to some girl,” he blurts out. “Oh really,” I said, “What shop do you work at?” Curious as to why a “damn” good mechanic brought his car to another repair shop. “I’m an A/P mechanic…. That’s all you need to know,” he stammers out. Nothing against aircraft mechanics… their great at what they do. But, let’s face it… a jet engine isn’t a car. Well, this Balboa stand in was as much a jerk as I have ever seen. I explained why there is a pretty gal in the front office and what her job duties were. Also, how she has answered all of his questions over the phone and if she had a problem she was perfectly capable of relaying information. “You know, she’s a lot pretty than me,” I said, “So why don’t you let her answer your questions and if at any time she needs more answers I’ll be glad to assist.” This jerk still had his Rocky warm up suit on. It wasn’t a question of man to man information now. His whole attitude was that he was the champ and everyone else is a chump. Sorry, pal, it doesn’t work that way. After I explained the whole thing again to him I asked Mandy if what I said was similar to what she had told him earlier. The answer was “YES”… go figure. As he walked out the door I reminded him that his disrespect to the guys in the shop was unacceptable and blocking the garage doors slows down our ability to offer service to other customers. “Your problem is I’m the customer here….and you should be showing respect to me before I have to show one ounce of respect to you or anybody here,” shouting as loud as he could. “You know, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, I try to keep cost down by having someone in the front office to handle these things. But apparently you’re from the old school of auto repair where a guy talks to a guy about car stuff… sorry, I guess I didn’t think about that,” I said as humbly as I could… which by the way I didn’t mean any of it. It was mainly for his feeble ego than for anything else. He accepted my apology and then wanted to know if he bought a used rearend how much I would charge to install it. I wanted to say….not near enough…in fact…never in your life would I do another job for the likes of you. But I didn’t. However, little does he know, his little sign in his office might be his way of showing his macho ego. But I hate tell him this, his story is in print and it’s all over the country….so if you are going to put a sign in your office area to let everyone you know about “the” asshole, you should take notice of one thing. Make sure “the” asshole you’re dealing with isn’t a writer of such stories. Because, I think my little sign is bigger than your little sign…. there, Mr. Balboa…..! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Geez, got a story on that subject... called "runs in the family" I might post that one next... LOL

Amen Brother! Let's just leave the jacks in the trunk.... LOL

Nice... You're a walking billboard of advertisment for her... Gotta tell the wife ... she'll be impressed. Thanx

If I didn't mention it before, I'll mention it now. My dear wife is a quilter, and not your ordinary quilter but a highly recognized author and desinger of quilts and patterns. (You can find her books on Amazon.com... "Loose Change") One of the things that keeps her busy is the QOV... "Quilts of Valor" This is a non-profit organization (national) that create quilts for ALL injured soldiers in any milatary hospital in the world. I sometimes forget the value we should put on our freedom, I also forget to thank them when I should. This time I'm not forgetting... I wanted to thank my wife for her efforts... because I tend to forget to thank her the most. This letter is from one of those hospitals where the quilts she makes is sent to. Letter received from a doctor at Landstuhl: I'm currently doing a rotation in the ICU in Germany (Landstuhl) that serves as our mid-point hospital for troops injured in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and on their way back home. Some of these Soldiers, Airmen and Marines are terribly wounded, and have lost limbs and/or eyesight. I'm seeing injuries you can't even imagine in your nightmares, from broken bones, burns, horrible skin/muscle injuries, open abdomens to brain injuries and lost limbs. As a military doc, I knew what to expect, have seen the pictures and heard the descriptions, and am still appalled. All of these Soldiers, Airmen and Marines have quilts in their possessions here at Landstuhl. All of the less-injured Soldiers, Airmen and Marines (who can be out and about) have their quilts in their laps or spread across their wheelchairs while roaming around the hospital and doing physical therapy. All of these Soldiers, Airmen and Marines have their quilts across the foot of their beds or around their shoulders as they sleep through a warm and peaceful night without fear of bombs and gunfire. All of these Soldiers, Airmen and Marines are thankful for their quilts, and I've heard a few comments randomly through the hospital regarding their quilts. Thank you all for all you for the troops. They appreciate it and I thought you'd like the feedback from "downrange". Leslie

I'm so glad you like the stories... really like the feedback. It tells me I'm on the right track with a given story. As long as it's not a boring story and I like to re-read them, I figure somebody else probably will like them. No matter what part of the nation... somebody always will want something free. I can't imagine how people can even consider that just because they "own" a car that the repair should be no more than going to the bathroom medicine cabinet for a bandaid. Thanx for the thoughts... Love to here from everyone. thanx again.

This is another story for one of my columns. I'm not sure I like the flow of the story... so I thought I would let the group give me some feed back on it. Let me know. I didn't want that jack anyway A city slicker has a flat on a lonely country road. After looking in his trunk he finds that the jack is missing. Unfamiliar with the surroundings he looked around to see what options he had. Way off in the distance he could see a single farm house. The choice was simple, start walking and borrow a jack. Down the dusty dirt road towards the farm house he went. As he walked his attitude was getting the best of him. Thinking to himself, "I wonder if this farmer has a jack, wonder if he'll let me borrow it, he might want me to pay for it, he might not even answer the door, he might come out the door and tell me to get lost. He might meet me at the door with a shotgun, what's with this guy; all I wanted was a jack… I'm going to give him a piece of my mind, he's not getting away with this, threatening me at the door, and unload his old shotgun … I'm going to give this jerk a piece of my mind." On and on he went, the closer to the door the madder he was getting. By the time he knocked on the door to the farm house, the poor farmer didn't have a chance to say hello. The city slicker throws back a punch and shouts out "I didn't want the jack anyway" and storms off down that same dusty dirt road with his original problem at hand. From my point of view this is how some customers pre-judge the mechanic before they get to the service counter. Not to mention myself, I'm guilty of it too. My "jack" story starts shortly after the car is in the shop and I find out what's wrong with it. I'll call the customer and give him the news and they don't believe me or they questions me like a private investigator. "Did you do this, did you check that, how do you explain the failure, are you sure…?" The customer would go on to say, "Well, I'll have to think about that, I'll call you back later and let you know what I want to do." After so many years of working with the general public I have gained a "sixth-sense" about these things, call it the "jack" theory. I don't want to pre-judge the reaction of the customer anymore than I want to pre-judge a repair based on what happened in the past. Because now I'm judging the results before it actually happens. Sometimes your right on the money, other times there is something out of the ordinary that can't be explained until you reach the very end of the diagnoses. I was asked once on a radio show about this same subject. The host of the show answered me this way; "I'm so afraid that the mechanic is going to rip me off that I'm always on guard when I'm at the repair shop." That can be so true, except, look at it from the other side of the counter; I can have the same knee jerk reaction to a customer. I spend my entire day behind the counter, however that customer who wants to yell, scream, threaten, etc… his time at the counter is now and never more. This is where the shop puts itself on guard and starts to think… jacks… do I need this jack or not. When one of these situations come along you can bet I'm not the happiest camper in the shop. I'm more like a growling bear ready to jump on the first dork that asks the next stupid question. I have to remember to keep a professional approach while I'm talking to the customer. Be completely up front with all the labor charges and parts costs. Save the personal attitude when no one is around or the drive home. As these situations escalate, the blood pressure rises. Jack or no jack I'm still going to pump the blood pressure higher. Is it the repair, a clash of personalities, or is it the cost of the repair? A lot of times it's the personalities and egos that get in the way of the repair. For some unknown reason a lot of people mistrust the industry to the point that they have to question everything you do. Or, they have had their car "per-checked" by "Uncle Fred" so by the time they get to your shop they have already determined the exact problem before you even have put their name on the work order. More times than not, it's the old wallet talking, not the car, not the type of repair, and certainly not me. My diagnostics, and repair methods haven't changed from the previous job to this one, just because it's not going the way the customer would like it to go and the cost of the parts and labor is getting higher and higher doesn't make it right to raise your voice and be so demanding. I know they want their car back as cheaply as possible but in some cases the condition of the car doesn't quite allow that. Usually a few hours or sometimes days later, I have to laugh at the whole thing, you have to. At this point all you want to do is move onto the next project. I make a living fixing cars, not arguing with a frustrated person that doesn't have the money for the repair or lacks the common sense to view the situation in a civil manner. And the last thing I need to do is start looking for another jack down a dusty country road. Sometimes I'm stuck with the car at the shop, unrepaired and the customer doesn't want it back. Then, I have to decide to have it junked, repaired or sold as is. So if you are looking for a cheap, trashed out car, usually with high miles on it, more than likely something broken, missing, or in need of even more repair than you can imagine, then go to your local repair shop…. They probably have the car for you. Do me a favor though, check for a jack first.

I've been broke into too. It was years ago... many years ago. I've gone to a monitored alarm system and every employee gets their own security code... which is erased when they leave. They theives only wanted the safe... they left all the tools and computers. Not to change the subject but I've had employees that stole from me also... caught him red handed... He was one of my interns and I brought it up to his parents. Oh, of course, the story was, "My boy would never steal anything." Yea right, ...

Posted the video on my Facebook page...

I watched the entire video ... I can't understand how these people think we have access to all that information. I'm totally blown away with the guy who owned the dealership and said he has had no problems getting the information... That guy should have brought one of his techs along and let him tell you about that so called... "complete information" The comments that really struck home were the comments from Rick Peak and our own Joe Marconi... If there was a way I could have been there I doubt you could have kept me in my seat... I wanted to chear you guys on and let those people know what we all have been saying for years. Thanx for posting the video... Way to go guys... excellent speeches... now, let's keep it moving and get these changes made.

Great, ya need a truck for the weekend... mine is out of gas... sure would appreciate it... LOL (I kinda figured you as that type... nice to know I'm not alone in the world...)

I know what it is..it's a medical condition. It's called Rude-nessinconsiderateta....... People like that are the type that think someone will always help them out... that's probably why the lazy bastard kept feeding his face instead of helping his mom. I think it's in the DNA makeup... some people have it, some don't... But you my friend, show great effort and courage... you should be knighted... I'll bet if the situation came up again.... you'd do the same thing... and... If that lady had the situation come up again... she, would do the same thing too... go figure... the only cure I know for it is a good slap in the face... I'll help...

Born and raised in Bloomsburg, Pa Do you know where that is??

The battle continues. I get the impression that the legislation doesn't really understand the battle we are up against. And, it doesn't help much when ASA doesn't see the problem. I know what they are saying..."all the info is available, and that lack of proper training is the problem." granted, that's true... in a way. But, when you consider the fact that the information provided don't exactly have "complete" information... such as, if you looked up on the information page for something to do inside a door the only info given to start the procedure is; "remove door panel" Do they not know that that IS not complete information. Some of these door panels ... IF.. you are not careful, can break beyond repair if taken off the wrong way. I'm only using that as an example... there is a lot more different types of repair procedures I could mention. I know on some procedures everything is there, right down to which bolts should be removed. The problems is that NOT all the procedures are there. When I was a kid, I would go down to my dad's work area and sit and look thru the old 40' and 50's repair manuals. Everything you needed to know was there, even pictures of how to do the repair. But, that's not the case today with all the so called "secrets" that the manufacturer doesn't want to share. These are things that get you and I into trouble. The way I see it... the information that is available is like a hang man's noose. Just enough info to hang yourself but not enough to properly do a job. If that's what ASA is referring too... I would have to say they are absolutely full of it. If things don't change, and we as the true independent.... decent shops in the nation... we would have to have such a HUGE hourly labor charge to compensate for the cost of buying these proper scanning equipment and proper information... people, our customers would be forced to go back to the dealer merely because we would be too expensive. Buying all the neccessary equipment at the cost of these individual manufacturers is entirely impossible. Now, if you just wanted to make a living changing starters and brake pads... I guess you could get buy. But, that's not me... I'm a specialty shop that does mainly electronics... and the cost for me... is completely going to put me out of business. This is MY main concern... these legisatures don't see this... they obviously don't understand the plight we are in. You know, if they passed some stupid A&& law where ALL indepedent shops including tire shops were forced to close for one week or even a day... the dealerships could not handle the load. It would be complete caos. I found out last week that the SAAB dealer in town doesn't even service their own convertible tops... they don't even have the diagnostic procedures for them... I asked, "Well, what do you do with them." Their answer, "We send them out to a convertible top shop." I called that shop... they don't have the procedures either.... they do it the all fashion way.... GUESS... and keep changing trip switches and components till it works... and pass the cost of all that back to the customer... NOW WHO'S SCREWED! ! ! Let's hope that something is done to wake up America to whats going on with their cars and trucks that we are so dependent on. The independent shop is here to stay as far as I'm concerned... We just have to make sure the ones that are making all the laws understand what's going on. I'm hoping this industry doesn't end up like the mom and pop grocery store or the milkman that delivered to your door. This has got to stop, this has got to be fixed... and soon.

There's a new wrench in town A Volkswagen Beetle was left in the parking lot one cold morning. It was one of my regular customers 01' Beetle. All I knew of the problem was that it wouldn't start. "Let's check a few things first," I said. I pulled out one of the glow plugs to check it for wear and tear and if it was getting the necessary voltage to warm it up. All was well; in fact they looked fairly new. I had a meter handy so I checked to see if the resistance was correct…right on the money. I cracked open a fuel line to one of the injectors … no fuel…. No fuel??? Hey, wait a minute… isn't that kinda necessary?? The tank was full, but no fuel pressure at the lines. One of the things to worry about with a diesel is … air in the fuel lines…. Anytime these engines get any air in the fuel lines… oops… they will be hard to start or not start at all. Ask anyone with a diesel that has ran out of fuel…ask them how long it took to get it started again. Well, before I start tearing into other possibilities, this would be a good time to shoot a little starting fluid down its throat and see if I can get a burp or two out of the little engine. I want to be sure there are no "mechanical" issues with the engine. A couple of quick shots of ether and crank of the key…. Shazaam…!! Started right up…. Hold on hold on…. fuel is spurting everywhere.. Shut it off... Shut it OFF now!! Looking under the fuel distributor you could see that the fuel was actually coming out of the two halves of the distributor… apparently the gasket or housing to the distributor has developed a major leak. My guess would be probably from the cold. Air was getting into the fuel lines, but once the engine spun fast enough to overcome the air rushing in from the bad distributor it then was able to start. I called the customer and gave him the bad news, the biggest problem was cost; a fuel distributor isn't a cheap part by any means. Luckily for the owner he was still covered under the factory 100k mile warranty, but barely. It was about 500 miles shy of going over the mileage. The obvious next step would be to have the car towed to the dealership. All the work could be completed under the warranty and save the customer from a huge repair bill. Nothing like a warranty when it actually pays off on an expensive part… I'm actually more relieved myself. It's not the easiest job by any means, oh I'll do it… but given a choice between changing a fuel distributor or taking a swift kick …. I'll take the swift kick. At this point I'm through; I did my part, diagnosed the problem and sent it on to the proper repair facility to have it done. What more should I do? Then the phone rang, it's the owner of the car. He was quite calm on the phone.. I couldn't believe what he was telling me. In a very calm and collective voice the owner said, "The tech at the dealer says it needs new glow plugs, new glow plug relay, and a new glow plug harness." Once the initial shock wore off, I began to laugh. "You're kidding me," I answered laughing the whole time. "No, that's what the man said," he said, with a little smirk in his voice. I think he knew, but didn't want to say anything to me about what he thought was going on… oh, I knew, I knew quite well what was going on. He asked, "Do you want to call them?" "No, let's see if they want to call me. I already know what's wrong with the car. Let's try this; ask them if they will guarantee the repair and make it right if that doesn't fix the problem," I told him. "Ok," said my now laughing owner, "This ought to be a fun adventure. I'll play along with ya." The phone rings again… it's the tech from the dealer. I felt like it was one of those old western movies. You know the ones, where the bad guy strolls into the bar and says to the other cowboy, "This here town ain't big enough for the both us." Oh yea, my young, wet behind the ears dealer tech had something to prove. You could tell he had been shining his wrenches for just an occasion to show up an independent shop. I could hear that "western" movie music in the background. I was waiting for the "call out" any minute now. It's the old "I'm the dealer tech and nobody knows more than me." You know, I'm getting older, I may not be as fast as I use to be… but it's still going to take more wrench than this spark plug has to get the best of this old gear head. Talk about a cocky, fresh out of diapers, full of himself dipstick. If this guy would just listen to what he was saying, he could have figured out who the real cracked engine blockhead was. I'll bet he goes to work; dons his dealership uniform and transforms himself into tat ta tat da…. SUPER MECHANIC!! Look in the shop, springing from tool box to tool box, no, could it be… why yes it's SUPER MECHANIC..! I'm honored to be in the presence of such a marvel of the auto world. Could I have finally met my match, am I to be put down at high noon like the Wild West gun slingers of old? Hold on there, partner, I still have my secret decoder ring and my x-ray glasses to ward off such attempts of super human abilities. I'll call you out… High Noon, wrenches ready… let's do this cowboy. He proceeded to tell me that he had a code for an intermittent glow plug signal and that they had records showing that the glow plugs were changed at the dealership 2 years ago. Naturally, that was what was wrong with it. He didn't need another shop to tell him that, because he was perfectly capable of handling the repair and that the only reason he was making this call is because it was company policy to verify complaints if the customer didn't agree with their diagnosis. Holy Wrenches Hombres, at least we have that going for us… You know, there are times I'd just like to give these snot nose, green horn, socket jockeys a quick thwack on the noggin. But, this kid was lucky, I wasn't in the mood to belch out my usual "you're too young kid, you're going to need a little more grease in the right places before ya go messin' with this old wrench" speech. Instead, I was going to give him another chance to rethink his diagnosis. "How did you arrive at that conclusion," I asked. "I had a code for it, and these cars have a history of problems with the glow plugs," he very proudly stated. "Did you check the glow plug themselves?" I very calmly asked. "Well, they were changed 2 years ago," he answered. First mistake; more to follow. "Let me get this straight, you found a code, you didn't check it, and now you want to change the part… is that it?" I said in a stern manner. "I don't need to check it, I already know," he quickly bantered back. "I hate tell you this, but that code is there because of me. I pulled the glow plug out and hand checked it. I even checked the resistance value on the glow plug and the incoming voltage. I didn't see a thing wrong with the glow plug circuit. Did you by chance notice the raw fuel under the fuel distributor?" I asked in a even more stern voice. "Yea, I saw the fuel. I washed it off." he answered in a confident manner, "It started to stink up the shop and blow the fumes all over the shop. The car was directly under the shop heater and the other techs were complaining. Not like it had anything to do with the repair anyway. You guys' are just a little sloppy, you should clean up things better next time." "That fuel you seen is from the fuel distributor housing," I told him. "Oh, you know, all these customers are all alike; they're just trying to get stuff done for nothing while it's still under the warranty. So, it's no big deal," he answered. Oh please, don't tell me this kid had the nerve to say that. It reminds me of all those comments that small children say to strangers in a crowded room. Usually out of context and never under the right circumstances and, most often, with their parents standing right there totally embarrassed by the whole thing. Another mistake, keep going kid… it's just keeps getting better. "I think you should put this car back outside and check it in the morning after it gets good and cold. It's going to leak again, that I'm sure of." I told the new wrench. "I'm going to have to ask my service writer about that, because I'm very sure of the repair work that I have already diagnosed. So, like I said... This is just a courtesy call... not a call to tell me how to fix it." He said in a very demanding tone. "Ok fella, have it your way. I'm just trying to help you out. I didn't spill a drop of fuel. That fuel you see came from the distributor not from anything else." I said, trying to get my point across. "I understand, but you know, here at the dealership we have the most sophisticated equipment and can diagnose these problems better and quicker than you can." He answered. The mistakes keep adding up. About now I'm shining my wrenches for a showdown… somebody is going to get it, and it ain't me. I think if I were him, I would be concerned that the glow plugs that were installed 2 years ago have failed again, seems pretty odd to me that the glow plugs wore out that quickly. But this young wrench head is strictly going by the code and not diagnosing the problem. I told him, "Wouldn't it be proper procedure to clear the code and then recheck. Chances are it was a false code do to the fact I had disconnected it earlier." He didn't seem to be interested in my comments. As I expected, the dealership called the owner and told him that they were going to do "further" testing. The next day the owner called me back again with even more astonishing news. "The dealer tech said that the raw fuel was from the glow plug that you took out," the owner said laughingly. I figured the tech was trying to cover his tracks. A week later the little 01 Volkswagen had a new fuel distributor and a happy owner. All under warranty, and it didn't need those new glow plugs replaced… imagine that. This tech at the dealership was just a young wrench with a chip on his shoulder. Trying to out wrench an old hand like myself was not a smart move. To top it off, the owner isn't dumb about the whole thing either. A few more years under this young techs' toolbox and he might just make it. I guess you could say that there was a showdown at high noon. Holster those wrenches boy, you've got some more miles to put under the hood before you'll be ready for another showdown. I think it was a good lesson for the young ratchet head. Just because you're dealing with an independent shop doesn't mean they don't know how to use those wrenches. So saddle up there youngster, I'm proud of ya, this was a good lesson for future endeavors. For me, the trigger finger is a little slower than it used to be… But I can still tell the stories… one wrench at a time. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Joe, I think we both studied out of the same tool box. Sorry about the thunder stealin' my bad... LOL